Sunday, 28 September 2014

With the release of the new Chanel Vitalumière Loose Powder
Foundation came two new limited edition shades of Joues Contraste,
#80 Jersey and #170 Rose Glacier.
Though I was tempted to pick
up Rose Glacier (pink with golden shimmer), I settled on
Jersey (£31) as I was interested in trying the pressed powder
version (usually released in the US) instead
of the European baked formula (interestingly both
versions are made in France).
Actually I was surprised to see
the pressed US formula out here, makes you wonder if the
brand is planning to have just one formula, like they have
done with the eyeshadow palettes recently.

Compared to the baked, the pressed has a smoother, less dry/powdery texture (though still not creamy) and
pigment is quicker to build. One thing I don't like is the very strong scent.

Ingredients below:
Onto the shade and Jersey is a warm, rusty rosey brown
with subtle gold shimmer. I find it quite pigmented and if I over apply, it can take on a bit of a orange tone,
though I suspect this will likely only happen with those who
have very pale skin like me.
It applies quite smoothly and
lasts about 6 hours before I notice fading. I've read a few
posts on forums that wondered if the shade was similar to the
Tom Ford Stroked Contouring Cheek Colour Duo. Whilst there in
a similar colour family, from the swatches below (Tom Ford on
the right) you can see that the Tom Ford is deeper and warmer.
I'm pleased with this blush, its a nice warming shade that
seems to work with a variety of looks. I do prefer the texture
and application of the pressed versus the baked, so if you are
use to the baked formula this might be an interesting one to
try out.

Sunday, 21 September 2014

Limited edition for the Fall Smokey Nudes Collection, the Smokey
Nudes Eye Palette (£48) contains the following shades:
Cream Eye Shadow (matte cream)
Naked Eye Shadow (matte warm clay nude)
Woodrose Eye Shadow (matte grey)
Silver Brown Sparkle Eye Shadow (glitter taupe)
Watercolor Pink Sparkle Eye Shadow (glitter seashell pink)
Nude Beach Metallic Eye Shadow (shimmery golden beige)
Smokey Brown Metallic Eye Shadow (shimmery golden bronzed taupe)
Smoked Eye Shadow (matte deep cool toned brown)
The palette has a good range of finishes and shade depths, the
only colour inclusion I question is Naked as its very warm against
the other shades and doesn't quite fit.
Though Watercolor Pink is more of a a topper shade, the others all
have good pigment and blend well. I do need to use an eye primer with the shades (though I do get fall out
from Watercolor Pink even with a primer).
This is easily the best Bobbi Brown palette I've ever had, not
just because of the flattering versatile colours, but
predominately because of the performance. For me the shadow
formula in BB palettes is extremely hit and miss, some are smooth
and are easy to work with but others can be lacking in pigment, dry, chalky and
apply really patchy, I was therefore surprised that none of the
shades in Smokey Nudes apply poorly. The formula is definitely an
improvement on past palettes.
Though I could have done without Naked, I am really liking this
palette, it allows me to create a smokey eye of differing
intensities, and also a subtle nude look.

Sunday, 14 September 2014

This years Fall collection from Chantecaille looked like a
sophisticated array of wearable warm neutrals, the colours kept soft
and simple.
Fairy Moss (£30) is my first Hydra Chic lipstick. Its very
creamy with a slightly heavy feel and has very good coverage.
Though is feels quite moisturising this particular shade highlights lip lines and I can't attest to its claimed "6 hours of
wear" as find this no longer lasting than an average lipstick.
The finish is a satin matte, I was expecting a rose/pink nude so
was surprised by just how beige this is. It swatches better than it applies on the lips for me, as I just get a flat beige.
Ingredients:
For cheeks we have Bliss (£32), its embossed with the signature
Chantecaille rose (in celebration of their 15-year anniversary).
Described as a sheer petal pink, on me its a warm
dusty pink. Though seemingly matte it does have a glow about it
once applied. It has a smooth, lightweight texture, it applies
reasonably well (though not seamlessly) and lasts about 4/5
hours before I get heavy fading. I would say that this has a
dryer feel than my other Chantecaille blushers.
Ingredients:
You can probably tell that there is not any love going on here
and though I was eyeing up the eyeshadow palette from the
collection, I've decided to give it a miss due to how these
products have failed to wow me.
I use to be heavily into Chantecaille (I had much more of the range
before I started blogging), it was always a nice indulgent
luxury, who's quality was worthy of the price, however I have
felt that certain formula's have changed over the years and the
brands not quite at it's peak as it once was.

Sunday, 7 September 2014

Stroked (£56) is the lighter option of the two limited edition duos
released for the Tom Ford Fall collection. It was always going to be a
risk for me ordering such a warm looking duo, but I was intrigued by the
rusty autumnal tone of the blush and was interested to see how a Tom
Ford highlighter would perform.
The duo is meant to create sculptured cheekbones, with the deeper shade
adding definition and the lighter shade to highlight.
It contains a rusty orange and a yellow champagne highlighter. The
blush has a shimmery/glow finish and the highlighter has a frosted, high shine finish
(though it does not emphasize pores).
The texture is really good, as soft and smooth as you would like. The
product glides onto the skin but due to the extremely high pigment, if
you have pale skin like me, you really only need the faintest of touches.
Swatched below on the left and blended out on the right,
I wanted to love this as I think the texture/application is top notch
but as much as I try to get these colours to work for me they are just
too warm and the finish makes me feel a bit overdone.

Ingredients:

For those looking for a more dramatic finish with intense pigment then
Stroked is definitely a good option if you suit warm tones.